Dominican Immigrants in the United States

Report Author:

Jie Zong & Jeanne Batalova

Original Date of Publication:

2018 Apr

This "Spotlight" report details the major demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of Dominican immigrants in the U.S. based on census and Department of Homeland Security data. Among data points covered in the report are: educational attainment, labor force participation, income and poverty levels, immigration pathways and naturalization rates, health coverage, and remittance levels. In 2016, 1.1 million Dominicans lived in the United States, but most were in three states: New York (48 percent), New Jersey (15 percent), and Florida (11 percent). Educational levels were lower and poverty levels higher than for the foreign-born population as a whole and the native-born population. Despite economic challenges, Dominicans managed to send $6 billion in remittances to the Dominican Republic, representing about 8 percent of the country's gross domestic product in 2016. (Diversity Dynamics)